All But the Fall

by Kim Turner

  Jenna slowly opened the clasp and lifted the folded top, peering inside. She pulled out a thick packet of papers, laying them across her lap and setting the envelope beside her on the bed. She began reading but rubbed her eyes. “I can’t focus, what is it?”

  Aaron hesitated to explain. “I have to beg a bit of forgiveness here. I took your script and sent it off to Thomas Campbell with Epic Films. He’s made you an offer on your script for a mini-series.”

  “But how did you…” She glanced at the letter and back to him, shaking her head.

  “Theft, right off your laptop.” He kissed her hoping for quick forgiveness. “I told you I’m not good at following the rules.”

  “Thank you.” She brushed back tears with a slight smile and letting go of the packet of papers. “I knew you would come for me.”

  He chuckled. “To the ends of the damn earth, until my last breath.”

  She lifted the letter again. “Something’s wrong here. It should say Jenna Decker.”

  He smiled. “Well, I’ll just have to speak to Thomas about that.”

  “Yes,” Jenna said sniffling. “I want to do all the things we did again. I want to watch the sunrise and make love with you at the cabin. Take long rides on the horses with Lily and Mason along with us. Spend time getting to know your parents and brothers better and the only place I ever want to fall again is into you,” she whispered, “and maybe…”

  “Something else?” he questioned and waited.

  Jenna smiled. “I know we have Mason and Lily, but I’ve always dreamed of having a big family.”

  Aaron smiled, wiping her tears. “Well, now, you’ve got some healing to do, but we can get right to that soon enough.”

  She raised herself up to hug him again and he held her tighter, remembering the first day he ever laid eyes on her. He had known all along she was made for him and he would spend the rest of his life making sure of her happiness. For himself… He had his land, her, and a new son he already adored right along with Lily. There wasn’t much more he’d wish for, save giving her a child, if that is what she wanted. He chuckled and pulled her even closer. He hadn’t another need in the world except to love her all he could.

  Epilogue:

  Aaron stopped the backhoe, brushing a sleeve across his sweaty brow. The quiet after using the heavy engine for the last two hours was almost deafening, except for where his brothers hammered away on the roof of the last bunkhouse. There were three now, each a ready home for four boys who needed one. He glanced behind him at the main office, which held a small clinic for Jenna and a rather large kitchen and dining room.

  He shook his head. It was all coming together. Now it seemed the real work would begin, and donations had been arriving daily. Everything was in place and in about three weeks the first six boys would arrive. Ranging in age from seven to seventeen, it seemed his long-time dream was now a reality.

  He glanced at the roof where Jeremiah slammed another nail in place and then turned. “Looks like we’re done up here.”

  Both his brothers scaled down the ladder, Gabe tossing his shirt over his shoulder, sweat covering his brother’s body. “It’s done, now gotta get Tuck up here to do the last of the wiring for solar heat, the panels are up.”

  Aaron nodded as he climbed from the backhoe. “That’s the last of the landscaping too. At least until we add on more.”

  Jeremiah tilted his cowboy hat back. “Hell, I’ve gotta go back to the station to get some rest. A lot of hard work here, brother.”

  Aaron smiled and glanced around. “Gonna need myself a vacation, but I have a feeling the work’s just beginning.”

  “Well, it is if you get any boys in here like that one.” Gabe shoved Jeremiah aside, glancing toward the gravel drive as the roar of engines approached.

  Sarah was driving the golf cart with Mason on her lap helping and Jenna sitting beside her with Brianna on the back. Amos was in tow driving the second with Lily supervising and to Aaron’s surprise, Clarissa in the back. Aaron smiled. She’d promised to sign on to work for him when he got his ranch up and running and she’d made true on it by moving to Sun River.

  Lily scampered over running to grab Brianna’s hand. “We brought you a surprise, Daddy.”

  “You did?” He touched her curly mop of brown hair and lifted Mason into his arms when he ran over. “How’s my boy?” He kissed Mason’s cheek and walked to Jenna who was adjusting the strap on the baby carrier she wore strapped across her chest.

  “Having trouble?” He sat Mason to his feet and untwisted the strap, kissing her forehead. He brushed a hand across the light hair of his son, three-month-old Lucas, named for Jenna’s father.

  “Thank you; I don’t even know how I got it twisted.” She held the baby’s head as he slept against her body.

  “So you made it?” Aaron turned as Clarissa stepped closer.

  “Wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” Clarissa moved into his embrace and Aaron gave her a bear hug lifting her from the ground. “Aaron, put me down.”

  Aaron put her back to her feet as Gabe and Jeremiah hugged her next.

  “You boys have done wonders here.” She glanced around at the buildings in the middle of the forest, much like a camp. “I knew all those years ago there was something special up here on this ranch and now I get to be a part of it.

  “I hope you know you already are.” Aaron held her gaze. “This would never have happened if you hadn’t brought us all here all those years ago.”

  Clarissa gave him a lift of her brows. “I think retirement is over rated and I can’t think of a better way to spend mine, right here doing what I do best.”

  Sarah laughed, “I think I am right along with you. The vegetable garden and pictures are my new job to help out.”

  “Come on, Daddy, you have to see.” Lily grabbed Aaron’s hand.

  Mason tugged on his jeans. “Daddy, see.”

  “What’s the fuss all about?” Aaron exchanged glances with Sarah, giving her a wink. “Hey, Pop, guess you needed to come up today to make sure we’d done a good job of it?”

  “Oh, I expect I will have to make you redo a few things here and there.” Amos chuckled, lifting his oxygen to his shoulder. “You need to smooth that gravel more this way.”

  “Pop, we can’t do it all in one day.” Gabe jousted his father and turned his ball cap backward, but it didn’t get past Aaron that he couldn’t keep his eyes from Bri.

  “You need to get up here and help us.” Jeremiah sucked down a cup of lemonade Sarah handed to him.

  “Here, Gabe.” Brianna handed Gabe a cup, stepping closer to him.

  Aaron chugged the cup full quickly and set the cup aside as did his speechless brother. “So what’s the big surprise?”

  It was Jenna who answered. “Well, you said you’d be done today but we all have one more thing to add before you can say you are finished.” She smiled, taking his had as the children already waited at the back of the golf cart where Amos lifted a large brown package.

  Jeremiah trotted to help Amos. “I got it, Pop.”

  Aaron glanced from the package to Jenna with a skeptical glare.

  “You told me that the one thing you needed was a name for your place here so we could start putting it on all the legal forms. And we’ve gotta get moving on those, with the boys coming in a few weeks, so…” She took his hand and led him to the package. “Open it.”

  Aaron glanced at her and then all of them. None of this would have happened without each one of them believing in him, one way or the other. All of them helping.

  “Open, Daddy,” Mason chanted. “Open, me help.”

  “Lily, will you help us?” Aaron asked and waited as both children began tearing away the brown wrapping to reveal what was beneath.

  Aaron sucked in a deep breath as the sign came into view. He was surprised but not, when the children had cleared all the paper. For a moment words wouldn’t come. He’d left the task of naming the boys ranch to Jenna, who had been helpin
g with all the legal papers for a while now.

  “It’s for Maxus, Daddy.” Lily’s excitement mimicked his.

  “I can see that.” It was the best he could force from his voice as he touched the large bronze etching of the horse. “Maxus House.”

  Jenna rubbed a hand across his back as he fought to gulp away the lump in his throat. “I hope you like it. The name, I mean.”

  “It’s perfect. Maxus has come a long way just like these boys will as we help them have something good.” He glanced at his family and all around him at what had been created with all their help.

  “It’s fitting for a place like this.” Amos sat on the golf cart. “Gabe, you and Jer get this up right there on the main office.”

  “Yes, sir.” Gabe grabbed a cordless drill and followed Jeremiah, who went for the ladder.

  Aaron turned to watch his brothers hang the sign with a bit of bickering in order to get it done.

  “Hold it higher,” Gabe shouted as he measured for the bolts.

  “Your end’s too low.” Jeremiah adjusted the whole frame. “It goes here.”

  Aaron rolled his eyes, glancing at Jenna. “Some things never change.”

  Jenna smiled and hugged him. “I knew you’d like it.”

  “It really is beautiful, and I am glad Maxus is doing a bit better.” Brianna folded her arms, glancing where Gabe and Jeremiah continued.

  “No, get that end lifted, it’s crooked.” Amos scowled, standing back up to direct the process as he walked over.

  “Well, I for one love the name.” Sarah handed Aaron more lemonade.

  He sipped and studied the sign as Gabe and Jeremiah finished. It was perfect, and sooner than he was ready, Maxus House would open.

  “Ride horse, Daddy.” Mason jumped up and down before him.

  “Yep, I promised, didn’t I?” He tickled the boy, who giggled and patted Lucas’ tiny back. “And I think it’s about time we introduced this little guy to his first ride.”

  Jenna stepped back shaking her head. “Nope, he’s too young.”

  Aaron laughed. “He’s three months, it’s past time.”

  “Jenna, get on the golf cart with the baby and we’ll make a quick escape.” Sarah grabbed Jenna by the shoulders in an effort to protect her.

  Aaron chuckled as Jenna lifted the baby from the carrier and handed him off. “I am sure I will turn around one day and you’ll have him on some pony before he can walk.”

  He took his son, placing the infant over his shoulder. “Everyone want to take a look inside, it’s all done.”

  Both the children cheered. He wrapped an arm around Jenna and kissed the baby’s head as they all walked toward the main building. “We’ll let him wait a few more months before riding.”

  He glanced around at all they’d accomplished together as a family. He’d added another twenty head of cattle and Sarah had taken charge of tilling up an area for a large garden. His brothers had helped him with the building and his father had supervised all along the way. Clarissa had returned to help and Maxus had healed well enough to take small jaunts out for him to check the cattle. The filming of Jenna’s miniseries would begin within the month and the second season of The Bounty Hunter had been completed with him and Jenna working side by side until the baby had arrived. Life was as sweet as it should be and holding Jenna in his arms each night was something he’d never take for granted.

  A word about the author…

  Kim Turner writes western historical romance and discovered her passion of writing at the age of eight by writing poems, short stories, and journals.

  Kim graduated from Clayton State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing and holds a Master’s Degree in Adult Education from Central Michigan University. Working as a registered nurse educator for over twenty-eight years, she enjoys studying the medical treatments of the old west as well as keeping up with the latest western movies and television series. While she loves reading anything from highlanders to pirates, she claims to have an unquenchable thirst for the American cowboy when choosing her reads.

  Kim lives south of Atlanta with her husband and calls her greatest accomplishment the birth of one daughter and the adoption of another from China-neither of which came easy.

  Kim is a member of Romance Writers of American and Georgia Romance Writers. Kim’s Motto: It’s All About A Cowboy and the Woman He Loves. kimturnerwrites.com

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